Virus Kids
by Tando
Summary: Two children that were raised in Umbrella's facility in Raccoon City are searching for their parents.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Acknowledgement

First and formost, I'd like to thank DreamswithJoy, Dr. Stilla Live, and Daisy for help in editing this story. Really appreciate you constructive criticism and support.

I remember first being exposed to Resident Evil when I watched Resident Evil: Degeneration (and for the first ten minutes, believing that they were real people). A few months later a cousin of mine went off to college, and gave me his PS1 along with RE 1, 2, and 3. And athough I thought the graphics were terrible and the acting could have been better, it was a challenging and fun game experience. I hope I resurrect the classic horror survival feel from the original Resident Evil games in Virus Kids.

-Tando

Virus Kids

Prologue

September 24, 1986 A House in Raccoon City

The Peters were celebrating their little girl's birth at the Raccoon Hospital. She had been born only a few hours ago, and her father was just holding her for the first time when a doctor and two men in lab coats barged into the small hospital room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Peterson, we're so sorry to interrupt your heartfelt moment, but we need to do some more tests on you're new child." the doctor said.

"Alright doctor, but could you give us a little more time with our daughter?" Mr. Peterson asked, still holding his little girl.

"My deepest apologies Mr. Peterson, but these are important tests that we must conduct. The sooner we run these tests, the sooner you'll get your daughter." the doctor took the little girl from his arms.

The doctor and the two men in lab coats left the hospital room with the baby. They took the baby to the hospital's basement. There, the only light came from a small computer. They hooked the baby to an I.V. machine.

"What did the pervious tests suggest?" the doctor asked.

"Well Dr. Marcus, this might sound surprising, but I think we have our match." the first man in the lab coat replied.

"A female huh? That is highly unusual. And it was you, Wesker, who predicted that we would end up with two male subjects." Dr. Marcus examined the baby closely.

"It is rather refreshing doctor. It's highly unusual for a female to have the DNA we require." the other scientist chimed in.

"Yes Birkin, but we must be absolutely certain first. Birkin, administer a virus sample. Wesker, you deal with her parents." Dr. Marcus said as he typed something into the computer.

"What should I do doctor?" Wesker asked.

"Make them cooperate. If they refuse, then you may dispose of them." Dr. Marcus replied.

Wesker nodded and left the room. Birkin came back with a syringe of green liquid.

"I have the sample doctor." Birkin reported.

"Good Birkin. Now administer it." Dr. Marcus was still typing things into the computer.

Birkin approached the newborn child, who was staring curiously around the room. Birkin took the syringe and squeezed the liquid into her arm. Then Birkin quickly backed away. The baby stared vacantly into the dark room. Meanwhile, Wesker reentered the room, a gun in his hand. "Had to dispose of them, hmm?" Dr. Marcus asked his assistant.

"They refused to cooperate." Wesker reported.

"Oh well. It can easily be covered up." Dr. Marcus returned to studying the child.

"My god….." Dr. Marcus exclaimed, looking at the report the I.V. machine had sent to the computer.

"The child should be dead." Birkin exclaimed, rubbing his chin.

"Well, well, we have our match." Wesker exclaimed.

"Gentlemen, this calls for a celebration!" Dr. Marcus cried, raising his arms.

"Not so fast, doctor. We still need to find our second match. Remember we need _two _matches to complete this project." Wesker halted Dr. Marcus, raising his hand.

"All in good time Wesker, but you must admit, we are blessed to have found a match." Dr. Marcus proclaimed.

The doctor and his assistants picked up the tiny infant. They casually carried her to the main floors of the hospital when another doctor interrupted them.

"Dr. Marcus, we have found another match." The doctor cried, frantic.

"Well don't dilly-dally, show me!" Dr. Marcus cried.

The scientists all hurried over to a small hospital room. There, a nurse was handing a little baby boy to a man that appeared to be the baby's father. The boy's parents were surprised when the doctors entered the room.

"Is something the matter doctor?" the mother, still in the hospital bed, asked.

"Nothing is wrong. We just need to run some tests on your baby. The sooner we run the tests, the sooner you'll get your son back." Birkin reassured the parents, his line well rehearsed.

"You're from Umbrella aren't you? If you want to run tests on our son we'll have to come with you." the father explained, tightly holding his son.

"Please don't make this difficult sir. We promise to return your son in a timely fashion." Birkin pleaded, reaching out to the baby.

"Absolutely not! You knuckle-heads will not lay a finger on my son! Good d-" but the father was cut off by a bullet to the head. Wesker smirked as he watched the man fall to the ground. The wife screamed but was also quickly cut off by a fatal bullet. Wesker picked up the baby boy from his dying father's arms. Wesker looked at the nurse, who was cowering on the floor. He shooed she out of the room.

"Well, now that that's over, shall we continue?" Wesker asked.

Chapter 1

April 2, 1998 Umbrella Headquarters in Raccoon City

"Welcome to the Umbrella Headquarters" said the automated machine as we entered through the sliding glass doors.

Our parents worked here, so every day they'd drop us off at the Umbrella Day Care center. Both Matt's and my own parents are researchers for Umbrella. One of the researchers opened the sliding glass door that lead to the Day Care center, and Matt and I sat on the colorful cushions like we always do. Many kids came to the Day Care center, but most of them were babies and we looked after them more than anything. But today it was just Matt and I, no babies came to the Day Care center.

In an hour or so, Mr. Birkin will come in and give us our daily morning lesson. While we were waiting, Matt picked up one of the toys and examined it. He had dark hair, a similar shade to mine the only thing that separated us was that Matt cut his hair short like the male scientists. We both had fair skin from our lack of exposure to the sunlight.

"Hey Matt, do you have your current event article?" I whispered.

"Yep." Matt replied as he held up a copy of _The Daily Raccoon. _"I'm doing mine on the high levels of toxins in the city's water supply."

"Copycat!" I cried as I held up an identical copy of _The Daily Raccoon. _

"Alright Tina, don't go off accusing Matt of copying anyone. You two just probably had, similar ideas." Mr. Birkin stepped in in his usual white lab coat.

"So you two both did your current event assignment on the level of toxins in the city's water?" Mr. Birkin asked in his polite tone.

We both nodded.

"Well then, since you two both did your report on the same subject, I guess we'll go over a series of questions on that subject." Mr. Birkin then began asking us a series of questions. "How do you think the level of toxin will affect the public?" Mr. Birkin asked.

"The people will unknowingly drink the toxins, turn into monsters and destroy the city!" Matt shouted out loud.

He stood up from his desk and walked around the room, holding his arms out and moaning. "Tina…I'm going to eat your flesh." I squealed as Matt playfully tackled me to the ground. "That's enough children!" Mr. Birkin yelled, standing up. I had never seen Mr. Birkin so upset. He looked at the two of us with a cold, hard stare.

"That'll be all for today." Mr. Birkin left the room, letting the computer close the glass doors behind him.

April 2, 1998 Arklay Manor (Spencer Estate)

"What do you think made Mr. Birkin so upset?" I asked Matt as our parents dropped us off at our room at the Arklay Manor.

"Don't know. Was it something I said?" Matt asked, hopping onto his bed.

I sat down at our computer and began to turn it on. I started going over what Matt had said during our morning lesson.

"Either he was mad about you saying the people of Raccoon City are going to unknowingly drink toxic waste, or because you said the city's population is going to turn into monsters. Or it could be both." I pondered as I began looking at the latest online addition of _The Daily Raccoon._ "Why? The first one couldn't happen because the city has a toxic treatment plant and the second one is kinda stupid, don't you think?" Matt asked, smiling.

"Yeah, that is kinda silly." I said. But I was really wondering about the rooms at the manor. The ones we were never allowed to go into, the ones our parents worked in. I know it sounds stupid but as a kid, I use to think there were monsters in there. But that's awfully silly, right?

April 15, 1998 Umbrella Headquarters in Raccoon City

Mr. Birkin drew our blood _again._ He takes blood from us a least twice a week. He said he needs to because he needs to test our blood to make sure that we're not being exposed to any dangerous chemicals while at the Day Care center. But I've never see him test it. He always does it when our lesson is over so he leaves right after he draws a sample. I always wondered what they do with it. So today, when he took our blood, Matt and I followed him as far as we could. Matt and I knew how to get into the elevator system so we were able to follow Mr. Birkin to his lab. Once we were just at his lab, Mr. Birkin stopped and began talking with a unfamiliar person. We couldn't quite get a good look at him but we could clearly hear him.

"I have some more samples. I'll have the formula finished by tomorrow." he said, holding out the tray containing our blood samples.

"Good, but have you begun the children's training?" the figure asked.

"Patience my friend, they are still children. I hadn't thought of training them until they were in their late teens." Mr. Birkin replied.

"_Patience_ is not something we can afford anymore William. They are ready to be administered the Progenitor virus. They'll get their training, one way or another. If you can't do it, then I will." the man said and began walking towards us.

Horrified, Matt and I ran as fast as we could back to the Day Care center, hoping that the man didn't see us.

May 11, 1998 Arklay Manor (Spencer Estate)

Today Matt and I were outside in the courtyard playing catch. Our parents were in their laboratory underground. It was hidden in a secret location, so nobody could interfere with their research. I threw the ball to Matt and it soared high above his head and landed at the edge of the courtyard, near the gate. As I ran towards Matt, I saw that a white lump had attached itself to the ball.

"SPIDER!" Matt's high pitched scream rang out through the courtyard.

Everyone knew Matt had an extreme case of arachnophobia, but this was no ordinary spider. I examined the spider carefully. It was an abnormal bluish white, and seemed to be pulsing madly. All of a sudden, it leaped from the ball onto Matt's face.

"HOLY COW! TINA, GET IT OFF ME!" Matt madly swatted the air and ran wildly around the courtyard.

From the corner of my eye I saw a small shovel by the shed. I picked it up and used it to slice the spider off of Matt's face. The spider flew into the fountain on the other side of the gate.

"Thanks Tina, I thought I was a goner." Matt said, trying to catch his breath.

I managed not to laugh, nut still giggled slightly. He glared and I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, Matt. Have you ever been to this part of the courtyard?" I asked, looking around.

We were always curious, but I knew we both felt more so than usual.

"No I can't say I have." Matt replied, also looking around.

"What's beyond that gate?" I asked, peeking through the rotting iron gate.

Together, Matt and I pushed the gate open. It seemed to go into a smaller courtyard, with the fountain that the spider had fallen into. There was a passageway that lead into a cobblestone area. Then we both looked at the fountain, and saw another passageway behind it.

"Children, what are you doing here?" it was one of the scientists.

"You should be in your room. Go on now." the scientist pointed back to the mansion.

"Hey Scientist dude, what's behind the fountain?" Matt rudely asked, not obeying the scientist. "Why, I didn't think you would notice, well, it's…um…" the scientist stumbled.

"It's the entrance to the underground lab isn't it?" Matt concluded, pointing to the passageway behind the fountain.

"Look, you two better go to your rooms or I'm going to have to contact your parents!" the scientist seemed very upset.

Matt and I quickly scurried back to our room.

"Hey, maybe when we get the chance, we'll sneak back there and have a look at the lab!" Matt cried.

"When are we gonna find time like that? The lab entrance is probably heavily guarded." I replied, looking out the window.

Matt poured a glass of water from the nearby sink. "Want some?" Matt asked, holding out a glass of water to me. "Thanks." I said and took a long sip of water, wondering why this sudden surge of curiosity overtook me.

May 12, 1998 Umbrella Underground Research Facility beneath Raccoon City

Today Matt and I moved. Our parents did not accompany us. They would stay at the Arklay Manor to help with a plumbing problem. I didn't believe them (neither did Matt), but we willingly went to our new home. We would be taken to Umbrella's Underground Facility under Raccoon City. There we would live in one of the housing dorms. As we approached the dorm we were going to stay in, we saw a man blocking the entrance to the dorm. He was a tall, menacing figure, and I tried to be as polite as I could. But he scared me and he knew it.

"Excuse us sir, but you're blocking the entrance to our dorm." I said shaking.

"Yes, I know. Allow me to introduce myself I'm-" but the man was interrupted by Matt.

"Hey Sunglasses Man! Why are you wearing sunglasses? We're underground! Are you stupid or something?" Matt pointed at his sunglasses, trying to reach them but the man was too tall. "You're a quite, restless child aren't you?" the man said, looking down at Matt.

"As I was saying, my name is Albert Wesker. I'll be responsible for you for now on.". Before I can say it Matt does.

"Um, sorry Sunglasses Man, but our parents are responsible for us, they're just not here now." Matt stated, trying to push through Wesker to the dorm entrance.

Wesker chuckled and easily pushed Matt away from the door. I knew this man meant business, although I wasn't sure what that was exactly.

"You really think you'll actually see your parents again? Do you actually think you were sent here because the mansion had a plumbing problem? Did you really think they were your parents?"

Matt became silent.

"Even though you two are my responsibility, you will see very little of me, I assure you. Now I suggest you two get some rest. It must have been a tiring trip." Wesker stepped out of the way of the door.

It was a rather plain room, with two identical beds, a couch, a window looking out into an empty room and a TV. A note on the bed from Mr. Birkin told us to meet him as soon as we were unpacked. He said he wanted us to meet someone. We quickly unpacked and headed to Mr. Birkin's dorm. Matt pounded the door brutally with both fists until Mr. Birkin opened the door.

"I knew it was you knocking Matt." Mr. Birkin said with a smile. He ushered us inside his room. It was about the same size as ours, except it was more well decorated.

"My wife did the decorating. Do you like it?" he asked, noticing my eyes wandering around the room.

"Yes." I said simply.

"Bleak and boring." Matt said, sticking out his tongue. Mr. Birkin ignored him.

"Sherry, I have some friends I'd like you to meet." Mr. Birkin called.

A girl came out from behind the bed, a toy train in her hands. She seemed to be Mr. Birkin's daughter, but I wasn't sure. Wesker's words had already taken root in my mind.

"Hi, I'm Sherry. You guys look new-I don't remember any other children being here."

We introduced ourselves to Sherry, who in return invited us to play with her train set.

"Alright then, since you three are comfortable, I'll be heading back to the lab." Mr. Birkin began to close the door until Sherry interrupted him.

"Daddy, can't you stay with us a little longer?" Sherry asked.

"No Sherry, I need to get back to my, research." Mr. Birkin said as he softly closed the door. Sherry looked very disappointed, and although we tried to comfort her, she still looked sad. So I wondered and wondered if Sherry was Mr. Birkin's daughter. Or if she was like us, living a lie. Wesker… was what he said really true?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

June 2, 1998

Wesker was right-we haven't seen or heard from our parents in a month. Unlike our room back at the Arklay Manor, we have no computer. Therefore we can't check the news for information on the Arklay Manor and its researchers. But over the past month, things have been going well. We get our morning lessons from Mr. Birkin, but he always leaves us quickly to resume his research. When Sherry comes home from school, we like to hangout with her. We've become good friends and I'm glad Mr. Birkin introduced us. She tells us stories about the school she goes to. Strangely enough, she has never asked us why we don't go to school even though we were all born on the exact same year, 1986. I'm glad she doesn't ask because I don't have an answer, neither does Matt. It was getting late and we said goodnight to Sherry as we walked to our dorms. As we entered, Matt and I began to talk.

"Don't you think moving here without our parents is a little suspicious?" Matt asked me, as he carefully closed the door behind us.

"Yes, I do. But what's there to do about it? I mean, if we were to see them again, how would we get out of here? We have so many people watching us." I said, looking out the strange window in our room that leads to an small, empty room.

"Who's watching you, hmm?" Wesker asked as he stepped into the room.

Matt and I exchanged brief glances, we hadn't even heard him open the door.

"Mr. Birkin is. During our lesson he watches us. It's kinda weird." Matt replied.

"Hmm, that is, interesting. But we have more pressing matters on our hands." Wesker had brought in a small metal briefcase.

"What's in the case, Sunglasses Man?" Matt asked, curiously examining Wesker's gift.

"I thought I told you not to call me that." Wesker quickly pulled the case away from Matt.

"I will be administering you both a new medication." Wesker opened the briefcase, revealing two syringes filled to the brim with a strange magenta colored liquid.

"Um, Mr. Wesker, why would this, medication come in a metal briefcase?" I asked, keeping my voice down.

Wesker smirked at me.

"Well, that's the first thing you've said so far, but you need not worry princess. The medication is held in a metal container for a specific reason." Wesker replied as he took out one of the syringes and began to examine it.

The minute he looked away, I sneered at him while Matt was trying his best not to burst out in laughter.

"Ah, Matthew, this one is yours." Wesker said as he finished examining the syringe. Now it was my turn to hold in laughter as Matt stuck out his tongue.

"Alright then, enough children. Matthew, please hold still. I need to find a vein." Wesker said as he sterilized the needle and took the syringe to Matt's arm.

Matt looked at the syringe suspiciously as Wesker easily found a vein and injected the liquid in. I winced as saw Wesker put away the first syringe and take out the second one.

"Wait!" I shouted, eyes wide.

"No need to be afraid princess, this will only take a second. Then I can give you your presents." Wesker said, sterilizing the syringe once again.

"Presents? Yeah!" Matt shouted, raising his fists in the air but dropping them at the pain that the shot had left.

"Who told you to give us this medicine?" I asked, slowly backing up.

"Your tutor, William Birkin. He gave these to me to administer to you two. He would have given them to you himself, but he's very busy with his, research." Wesker replied, his tone firm, but polite, or at least as polite as he could be.

"I've even got one for myself." Wesker reached into his blue vest, revealing a similar syringe. "Alright, but what does it do?" I asked, lowering my guard.

"Tina, so many questions." Wesker shook his head.

"It'll give you a boost, which I guarantee you'll need, in time. Now hold still." Wesker firmly gripped my arm and mercilessly jabbed the syringe into my arm.

"There, now that wasn't so bad was it?" Wesker asked as he pulled out the syringe.

"Now it's time for your reward." Wesker announced as he reached into his vest once more to pull out two shiny new handguns.

"Guns? Cool!" Matt shouted and raced toward the new gifts.

"Why would we need, guns?" I asked, looking at Wesker suspiciously.

"They're the newest toy used by S.T.A.R.S units. The revolutionary Samurai Edge. They require no ammo whatsoever. They just need reloading. Isn't that lovely? I thought that since they were going to be cooping you two up here like chickens, you should at least be getting something done. It's my custom design. I put up a bulls eye target right outside your window." Wesker replied as he handed us each a Samurai Edge. That's what the window to the empty room is for, I thought.

"Anyway, here are some silencers, I recommend using them when practicing. Don't want to frighten any of the residents." Wesker said and smirked.

After showing us how to hold, fire, and reload our guns, Wesker left us to practice. As soon as he left, Matt and I began talking about Wesker.

"I actually kinda like Sunglasses Man. I mean, anyone who gives you a gun is trustworthy, right?" Matt said as he shot the bulls eye on the board.

I took my turn shooting the board.

"I don't like him. He wouldn't give us guns unless he expected us to use them for more than target practice" I said as I shot the board, just skimming the board.

"That was a terrible shot. Anyway, why don't you like him? Even if he wanted us to do something, there's no way we could get past the security guards and the Red Queen." Matt said, pointing his finger to the security camera hidden in the corner of our room.

"Yes. Well, we'll just have to wait and see…" I said, shooting and hitting the chain holding the board.

"Still terrible." Matt shook his head.

July 22, 1998

We were playing with Sherry in the late afternoon.

"Hey, you guys, I have a question." Sherry said.

"Yes?" I asked, looking at Sherry.

"Are you guys siblings? I mean, you guys kinda think the same and it always seems like you know what the other is thinking." Sherry asked.

"Siblings?" Matt looked at Sherry funny.

"You know, when you have the same parents." Sherry said, also staring at Matt funny.

"Oh, no. We don't have the same parents. They just work in the same lab." I corrected her.

"Why do your parents work in the same lab?" Sherry asked.

"I need to speak with you two. Now" Wesker demanded, sounding impatient.

We hadn't even noticed him until he spoke. We said goodbye to Sherry and headed back to our dorm with Wesker.

"Do you two still have your Samurai Edges?" Wesker asked, his eyes scanning the room.

"Sure we do" Matt said, walking over to the TV.

He reached his hand behind the TV to reveal his Samurai Edge.

"Oh, and where did you stash yours?" Wesker asked, eyes still looking around the room.

I walked over to my bed and pushed away the mattress. There was my Samurai Edge, tucked in a small tear in the mattress covering.

"Aw, let's be more original next time princess." Wesker teased, smirking.

I nodded my head in embarrassment. But I was more irritated than anything.

"Alright you two. It's time that you two put your new skill to work." Wesker said as he unfolded a sheet of blueprints on Matt's bed.

I knew this was coming. Wesker had a motive for giving us guns. He was planning on having us use them. But how? I'm sure that was to come next.

"You two are interested in finding out what happened to your parents?" Wesker asked as he finished spreading out the blueprints.

As Matt and I examined the blueprints, we realized it was a layout of the Arklay Manor.

"You're parents are still residing in the Arklay Manor." Wesker takes out the blueprint of the second floor.

"Your old room was here, right children?" Wesker asked as he circled a room with a red pen.

He was right, that was our room.

"And your parents resided right next door, am I right?" Wesker asked, circling the room right next to our room with the pen.

We both nod.

"Well, then, I guess you two better start in these rooms then? I'm sure you'll find some hints to the whereabouts to your parents there." Wesker said, closing the blueprint sheets.

"Yeah, but how're we gonna get there?" Matt asked.

"Leave that to me. Anyway, once you are out of the facility, you'll need to board the Ecliptic Express. Once it nears the mansion, I want you two to get off, using any means necessary. Then find your way to the mansion. Once you've found your parents, get to this location." Wesker took out another blueprint. This one showed the manor grounds and some of the surrounding forest. He circled a spot about a mile away from the manor.

"Meet me here." Wesker pointed to the circled area. "You'll leave tomorrow. Understood?" Wesker asked, looking at Matt and I. We nodded, for there was nothing else we could do.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

July 23, 1998

We anxiously wait for Wesker to give us some sort of signal. We waited all morning for him to give us a sign.

"Hey, Tina." Matt asked, looking at me.

He was sitting on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah?" I asked, also sitting on my bed.

"Birkin hasn't shown up for our lesson, it's almost noon. He should have come and left by now." Matt commented, looking at the clock resting next to his bed.

"You're right." I said, looking at my own clock. "He must be busy with his research." I figured. "Well, have you ever wondered what he's been researching this whole time? I mean, he never talks about what he does in his lab." Matt stated.

Matt was right.

"I'm sure it's nothing too dangerous. It's just probably too scientific and confusing for us to understand. Maybe he's not even researching anything. He could just be working on a theory." I guessed, continuing to stare at the ceiling.

Matt looked around.

"Gosh, will Sunglasses Man ever give us a signal?" he asked.

"Maybe he won't, or maybe he already did." I shrugged.

I didn't have as much faith in him as Matt did. I could tell that as much as Matt teased him, he looked up to Wesker.

"Oh? Do I sense some sort of _romantic_ attraction?" Matt teased, hopping off of the bed.

"Eww, no. He looks like he's about forty. He's old enough to be my father." I said, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

"I'm thirty-eight, but that was a fair guess." Wesker corrected, his face suddenly appearing on our TV screen.

Matt and I jumped back at the sudden interruption in our conversation. How long had he been listening in?

"Did I startle you? Well, you've got your signal. I'll start the diversion in a minute, so get ready." Wesker's face disappeared from the screen with a *click*.

Matt and I retrieved our guns from their hiding places. As we loaded them, Wesker's face reappeared on our screen.

"You two ready?" We nod. "Good. There's an airshaft next to William's room. It leads to the city. The station the train is leaving at is across the street. Good luck." Wesker waved and his face disappeared from the screen once more.

As soon as the screen went dark, the facility's alarms began to sound. The Red Queen's computer voice could be heard over the intercom.

"All facility employees and staff must report to their rooms immediately. This is not a drill. All employees and staff must report to their rooms immediately." The Red Queen continued to repeat the message, but we were already out the door.

We shuffled through the throng of white lab coats. I tried to stay with Matt as much as I could, until a firm hand grabbed my wrist and wouldn't let go. It was Mr. Birkin's wife, Annette Birkin. "Tina? What are you doing? You're dorm's the other way! And where's Matt?" Annette sounded distressed to see me, but I was more concerned about the task at hand.

"Mrs. Birkin, I'm just looking for, Sherry." I stumbled, in a hurry.

"Sherry's still at school. Now I'm going to take you to your room. Where's Matt?" Annette, not letting go of my hand, began to drag me in the direction of my room.

In desperation, I kicked Annette in the stomach.

"Tina! What's gotten into you?" Annette screamed as she kneeled onto the ground.

She let go of my hand and before she could chase me, I ran to find Matt in the panicking crowd. While trying to get away from Annette, I had lost sight of Matt. I ran to the airshaft that Wesker had instructed us to enter. It's cover had been opened. I hoped it was Matt who had left the cover open as I squeezed through the airshaft and began to crawl through.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

July 23, 1998 Raccoon City

It seemed like hours of crawling before I saw light, and a small piece of paper. It read: _Ecliptic Express 7268-563-M23 Station 3_. It was a train ticket. I had read of them in books, but I had never thought about actually seen one. Now that I think about, I've never even seen a train before. I thought about what one would look like as I crawled through to the small ring of light. I pushed up the manhole, and realized where I was. I was right next to the entrance of the Umbrella Headquarters and the building across the street must be the train station. I hurried over to the train station and pushed open it's glass doors. Inside the station was beyond anything I had ever seen. Small shops and stalls lined the entrance. The walls were decorated with exquisite carvings of winged babies and clouds. There was a grand staircase similar to the one at the Arklay Mansion going to a single door. The station was bustling with people. Not like the madness at the Research Facility, but innocent business. People selling flowers and toys, men and women sitting on wooden benches, people in sharp suits. It was so different from anything I had ever seen, and I loved it.

"Hello, little girl. First time at the station, huh?". I turned around and a police officer was standing next to me.

"Um, yeah, I'm just kind of lost." I said, stumbling.

"Well, maybe I can help you." the police officer offered.

"I'm looking for Station 3." I said as clear as I could.

"Oh, Station 3? That's Umbrella's private station. You must be a very lucky girl. Speaking of lucky people, where are your parents?" the police officer asked.

Good thing I already had an excuse prepared.

"They're already at the station. I left school early to meet them there." I said, hoping he would fall for it.

"Oh alright then. It's the door the staircase leads to. Right up there." the police officer pointed to the rotating glass double doors.

"Thank you very much….." I began to thank him but realized I didn't know his name.

"Ford. Officer Ford." he corrected, smiling.

"Thank you very much Officer Ford." I completed as I ran to the staircase.

I looked back one more time at Officer Ford, who was still waving. I waved back thinking, I should have done this a long time ago.

July 23, 1998 The Ecliptic Express

"Ticket please?" the man in the blue suit asked.

I handed him my ticket that I had found in the airshaft.

"Thank you." he said, and I boarded the train.

"There you are!" Matt cried as I was about to take a seat in the second cart of the train.

He was sporting a new pair of sunglasses similar to Wesker's and a black vest over his usual white t-shirt.

"New clothes?" I asked as we sat down at one of the tables.

"Yeah, there's a stall at the train station that was just giving clothes away. So I thought, why not?" Matt explained.

Funny, I don't remember a stall selling clothes, or maybe Officer Ford interrupted me before I was able to see it. We began talking about our trip here. I told him about my confrontation with Annette and about meeting Officer Ford. Matt told me that he went straight to the station and he was the one who had left the shaft covering open. He told me that he waited for me at the station, that's when he found the shop where they were giving away old clothes. He told me he grew impatient and went to the station, where he would wait for me. I nodded as he told story, but I had a strange feeling he wasn't telling me everything. After all, Matt's never waited for anything, or anyone for that matter. Why start now? The sun was just beginning to set as the train left the city. I looked up at Matt, who was staring blankly out the window. That's when I smelled something funny. The smell of blood.

"Hey Tina! The mansion's right up ahead!" Matt whispered as loud as he could.

I looked out the window and saw the mansion's roof peaking through the emerald trees.

"Let's go to the roof!" Matt whispered to me.

"Can't we just wait until the train reaches the station?" I asked him, still smelling blood.

"No, we've got to go now!" Matt commanded, pulling my arm.

I followed Matt as we slipped to the roof entrance. The minute we reached the roof, I felt the wind whip my face. Matt helped me up with an unusually strong pull that easily lifted me to the roof. I felt the slippery roof of the train, trying to keep my balance. Once I had found my balance, I looked to Matt, who was having no trouble standing what-so-ever.

"We jump from here!" Matt cried as loud as he could.

I looked down. It was already dark, and I couldn't see a thing besides the blur of trees. Was it really a good idea to jump off a train?

"Ready? Three, two…..mmhf!" Matt's word was muffled by a large black leech attaching itself to his face.

I ducked as multiple other leeches launched themselves into the air, landing onto the train. I reached for my handgun and shot at the surrounding leeches. I pointed my gun at the leech attached to Matt. I crept closer, trying to get a better shot. Before I could shoot, Matt yanked the leech off of his face with an strength that was almost inhuman and pushed me off of the train. In desperation, I grabbed the edge of the railing. Through a window, I saw the horror of passengers panicking around the train as the leeches broke through the other windows and were surrounding the passengers. I gagged as I saw one of the leeches devour a man's face. The train was slowing down at a fast rate and I knew that if I could just hold on until the train stopped, I'd be alright. Suddenly, I felt a painful nipping at my fingers. I saw one of the leeches had attached itself to my fingers. I winced in pain as the leech continued to nibble on my fingers. Suddenly the pain stopped. I saw Matt had stabbed the leech with a wicked looking dagger.

"Thanks." I called to him and took the dagger.

Funny, I don't remember him ever getting one. Once the train had come to a screeching halt, Matt and I jumped off of the train. We saw that the leeches had devoured the other passengers and were receding under the train, waiting for a curious soul to come along. Matt and I decided that it would be best to leave the train be. In case the leeches decided to try and attack us again. But as we walked through the woods to the mansion, I began to wonder. How did Matt know to climb to the roof of the train right before the leeches attacked? And where did they come from anyway? And that certainly isn't normal leech behavior. I glanced at Matt, who seemed unfazed by the fact that we were just attacked by giant leeches while I was still shivering from the thought of that monstrous leech biting my fingers. Matt, what the hell happened to you?


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

July 23, 1998 The Arklay Mountains

We were walking through the forest to the mansion when we saw a pack of what appeared to be dogs collecting around a corpse. They were mangled and had open wounds on their bodies.

"Be quiet." Matt told me.

We tried to slowly walk around them, but one of them looked up, salivating a strange liquid. It barked, and the other dogs looked up at us. The pack then charged at us at an amazing speed. Matt took out his gun and shot at the dogs. He took out three of them quickly, but there were too many of them, and they were too fast. We ran away from the dogs, unsure of where we were going. Suddenly, I felt a strong force push me to the ground. I cried to Matt, but he was still running. I took out my gun and fired three shots, not of which helped me at all. One dog had ran in front of the others and was standing right in front of me, it's saliva hanging right in front of my nose. I knew I was doomed, until I remembered the dagger I had taken from Matt. I quickly grabbed it and sliced at the dog. I managed to hit it on the nose with the blade. It backed away slowly, trying to shake of the wound. I used this opportunity to run away. I soon caught up with Matt, who seemed surprised to see me. We kept running, for the pack never seemed to tire. As we were beginning to tire, we stumbled upon a old building. On the outside, it looked like an abandoned factory. Matt and I ran into the building as fast as we could. The door lead to a waterway, and a passageway that looked like nothing you'd find in a factory. Still trying to escape the dogs, we jumped into the murky waters and slammed the door behind us. Panting heavily, I turned to Matt.

"Why didn't you help me back there?" I asked, my back against the wall.

"I didn't see you. Look, I'm sorry I didn't help you but, I was, in a hurry." Matt apologized.

I carefully pressed my head against the door to listen for the dogs. I could hear them barking and panting at the door.

"The dog's are still looking for us." I whispered, backing away from the door.

"Looks like the door's strong enough to hold them off, but we're going to have to find another way out." Matt deducted.

"Alright." I said.

We walked along the flooded hallway. I looked down at the murky waters. It was strange how Matt hadn't tried to help me back there. He could've been scared after all, although he'd never admit it. And what was that forceful push that made me fall in the first place? It must have been one of the dogs, but what if…

"This looks nothing like a factory." I said, glancing through the dirty water.

"Maybe the factory's flooded. There are all kinds of pipes here." Matt commented, looking up.

I looked up and saw something different.

"More leeches!" I cried.

Matt quickly whipped out his handgun and started shooting at the leeches. But there were too many of them. We trudged through the flooded waters as fast as we could. The leeches were close behind, and we knew we had to get away from them as quickly as possible.

"There! A ladder!" Matt pointed to a ladder.

We rushed over to the rusted ladder, as the leeches crept quickly behind us. Matt made it to the ladder first, and I followed right behind. But as I began to climb the ladder, Matt's foot kicked me in the face and I fell back into the dark waters.

"Matt!" I cried, looking up at him, but he continued to climb.

I scrambled back to the ladder, but the leeches were already surrounding it. I took out my gun and fired at the leeches, but it was no use. Then I remembered the knife I had used on the dog. I pulled it out and slashed endlessly at the leeches until I carefully climbed the ladder and was able to open the latch above it. Once I was up, I quickly sealed the latch shut. Leeches and dogs, if only Mr. Birkin had prepared us for this.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

July 23, 1998 The Abandoned Umbrella Training Facility

I was panting as I collapsed onto the cold stone floor. Matt was standing in front of me, arms folded.

"What the hell, Matt? I could have died down there." I gasped, my breath obscuring most of my voice.

"I'm sorry Tina, really, I was in a hurry and I, I wasn't thinking straight." Matt looked down at the floor.

When Matt turned away from me, I gave him a dirty look. Whatever Matt had become, I certainly wasn't liking it. He's nearly gotten me killed twice, should I really still be trusting him? On the other hand, I kind of don't have a choice. I got up and immediately noticed a figure lying on the stone floor.

"Hey Matt, what's that?" I asked, pointing at the still figure.

On closer examination, the figure turned out to be a human body. The man appeared to be dead, as his flesh was rotting and gave off a foul smell. Matt cautiously walked closer to the body. As he kneeled closer to the body, the man's eyes flew open. The man grabbed Matt with both arms and tried to pull Matt towards him. I jumped back, surprised by the awakening of the previously dead man.

"Tina, help! It's a monster!" Matt cried, desperately trying to kick the rabid man away with his feet.

I fumbled, trying to take out my gun, but it kept slipping out of my hands.

"Shoot already!" Matt yelled, repeatedly pushing the man's head away from him.

I finally got a grip on my gun, I aimed as best as I could and shot at the man. My shot hit the pole next to Matt and the monster. I tried to shoot again, but my gun wouldn't fire. Then I checked the cartridge. Wesker said that these guns didn't need ammo. He lied.

"What are you waiting for?" Matt panicked, desperately trying to keep the monster off of him.

I didn't know what to do. My gun was empty, and I couldn't take on the monster with my bare hands. And then I remembered the knife. I pulled out my knife from my pocket and ran over to the monster. With everything I had, I stabbed my knife into the monster's head. The monster let out a ghostly groan and fell to the floor. Dark blood splattered onto Matt's face and vest. Matt steadily got up, brushing off the blood from his vest.

"A knife, seriously? You seriously think you can take on those things with just a knife?" Matt angrily gestured to the dead monster on the floor.

"I'm sorry Matt, but I was out of ammo. Wesker lied to us, our guns do need ammo." I showed him the magazine of my gun, now empty.

"I know. I'm sure he didn't mean it. I mean, there must have just been some sort of mistake." Matt calmly replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Anyways, here's some more ammo. I found a bunch of them on the train. I also found some different kind of ammo. I kept it just in case we might need it later." Matt said, showing me his collection of ammo.

The packages were labeled "Handgun ammo" and "Shotgun shells". The handgun ammo was red, while the shotgun ammo was yellow.

"What's a shotgun?" I asked, looking at the two packets of larger shotgun shells.

Matt shrugged.

"They're longer guns, and they're heavier too. I think there might have been one hanging on the wall at the mansion." Matt guessed.

"Speaking of the mansion, we need to find a way out of here." I suggested.

Matt and I tried to pry the hatch back open, but it appeared to be sealed from the other side. "Looks like we've got to find another way." Matt looked around.

Suddenly, a loudspeaker blared, its fuzzy sound echoing throughout the facility.

"Tina, Matthew this is Doctor Marcus. Do not be alarmed. Please report to the facility basement. I will guide you along the way." The intercom said.

Matt and I looked at each other. Who was Dr. Marcus? What should we do? Should we trust Dr. Marcus? How did he know us anyway?

"How do you know us?" Matt asked, his voice echoing through the room.

"I'll explain once you are in the basement. Now get moving, there is much to do." Dr. Marcus began guiding us through the facility.

This Dr. Marcus, he explained he was the general manager of this facility, yet the place seemed old and abandoned. Plus, there's that monster we ran into earlier. Were there more of them?

"May I ask a question Dr. Marcus?" I asked, as we ventured into what looked like a conference room.

"Ask away Tina." Dr. Marcus replied, his voice still clear on the intercom.

"We were attacked by a monster when we first got here. It was human, except it was dead. It attacked Matt, but we killed it." I told him, wondering if he even knew that his facility was crawling with monsters.

"Did it bite Matt?" Dr. Marcus urgently asked, sounding excited.

"No, but do you know what they are?" I asked, not quite understanding his urgency.

"Oh, I see. Well those "monsters" are escaped experiments of a highly infectious disease. You two won't have to worry about them for now though. I've mostly contained them in another area of the facility." Dr. Marcus replied.

Why would Umbrella be experimenting with a "highly infectious disease"? They were a pharmaceutical company, so maybe they were looking into a cure. But they could also be…

"Alright children, I'll have to cut off for now, but get to the facility basement. I'd love to meet you in person." The loudspeaker shut off.

Matt and I looked at each other. Dr. Marcus had given us directions to the basement elevator, but should we follow? We were told to never question orders, but this was different. We barely knew this man, how did he know us anyway? Suddenly, Matt's walky-talky turned on.

"Matthew? Are you there? Matthew?" Wesker's voice was heard from Matt's walky-talky.

Matt picked it up and turned on the microphone.

"Yes, I'm here, and Tina's still here too. We just received a message from a man named Dr. Marcus, who is he?" Matt asked, speaking clearly into the microphone.

"Dr. Marcus? Was this message a recording?" Wesker asked, sounding surprised.

"No, he could understand everything we were saying. I think he might have cameras hooked up in the facility." Matt replied.

"I was afraid this would happen. You two must be in the old training facility. It was closed down quite some time ago, so some of our, experiments may be loose. Be careful, and find a way out of there." Wesker sternly ordered.

There they go with the "experiments" again. If this place was closed a while ago, why didn't Umbrella come and round up their "experiments"? And if there are more of them, what if the leeches we encountered are also experiments?

"Yes, sir." Matt replied in an equally serious voice.

I peered at Matt suspiciously. He had never called anyone "sir", let alone actually sound serious around anyone else. What's happened to him?

"Dr. Marcus on the other hand has been deceased for some time now. I think someone is trying to impersonate him. What has he told you to do?" Wesker asked.

"He told us to go to the facility basement to meet him in person." Tina told Wesker.

"Hmm, I suggest you follow his orders. Contact me when you've made contact with him. Use caution, he might be dangerous. Wesker, out." Wesker saluted and his face disappeared from the screen.

"Should we really be trusting Wesker? I mean, he lied to us about our guns, he could be leading us into a trap for all we know." I told Matt.

"We should follow Wesker's orders. What else can we do?" Matt countered, defending Wesker.

"We could get out of here is what we could do!" I yelled back at Matt.

Matt's lips moved a bit, and his eyes darted back and forth, as if he was thinking.

"Well, but then where would we start? We know where the basement is, so we should go there. Plus, we don't want to run into anymore of those things." Matt finally replied, pointing to the dead corpse.

I gave in, and we started through the facility. Matt and I continued through the facility undisturbed. The whole way through I thought about Dr. Marcus and Wesker. Dr. Marcus claimed to have good intentions, but why have I never heard of him before? Wesker, on the other hand, says that Dr. Marcus died some time ago and that the person we were speaking to was an imposter. If he was an imposter, who would impersonate him? But there was also the possibility that he wasn't an imposter, what would explain his death? I began to consider the possibility that Dr. Marcus was one of those monsters. But the monsters couldn't talk and didn't appear to have a very high intelligence level. Either way, it was still a possibility. And Matt, he seemed very persistent about going to the basement to meet Dr. Marcus. Now Matt is the only friend I have next to Sherry, and I've known him for much longer. But over these past few hours he's changed so much. Should I really be trusting him anymore?

"Hey, I found the elevator!" Matt shouted from afar. He must have gone ahead of me without my noticing. I quickly caught up to Matt, who was standing in front of a rusty elevator.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

I shrugged, "As ready as I'll ever be."

And we stepped into the elevator.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

July 23, 1998 Training Facility Basement/Boiler Room The elevator shock a little bit on the way down. The thought of something above us about to smash us gave me chills, but Matt didn't seem very afraid of it. He just casually looked up at the roof of the elevator.

"There might be something up there. You better go check it out." He suggested examining the elevator's roof door.

"No way, there might be another monster up there." I said, standing my ground.

If he is trying to trick me to my death, it's not going to be here.

"Oh, I see. You're scared, like any girl would be. Do you need help into your carriage, _princess_?" Matt said haughtily.

That made me snap.

"I'm not afraid!" I denied, knowing that wasn't the truth.

"Then go up there and check it out!" Matt cried.

"I will!" I yelled back.

I pushed open the elevator shaft door and climbed out, with Matt's help. I knew this was a very bad idea, but I wasn't going to let Matt get the better of me. Once I climbed onto the elevator, I saw what was shaking the elevator. Two dark, gross humanoid figures were holding onto the lines of the elevator. They were covered in the dark leeches we saw on the train. Then they turned their small, leech covered heads in my direction, and began jerking wildly toward me. I took out my gun and fired at the monsters, my shots missing every time. I considered my knife but then I realized that my knife would do no good against these slimy, leech monsters. One of them went ahead of the other and came right up to me. It used its long arms to lash out at me. I tumbled over, barely dodging its hit. I realized that the monster was close to the edge of the elevator, and with all my might pushed the leech monster off of the elevator. It fell to the ground somewhere below. I rushed over to the elevator's shaft door. It was closed.

"MATT, let me in, why did you close the door, Matt?" I shouted as I pounded on the door.

But there was no reply. I turned around to see the other leech monster thrashing towards me. I tripped the monster with my foot and stepped on its head. The leeches that had formed the monster dispersed, revealing that the monster had been entirely formed of leeches. I gagged at the thought of there actually being enough leeches to create a human-like form. Relieved, the elevator came to the basement floor, the rust screeching against the elevator. The elevator shaft came loose, and I saw Matt had finally opened the door.

"Why didn't you open the door before? I could have been killed!" I furiously asked as I jumped down into the elevator.

"I'm sorry Tina, but I was a little busy myself." Matt gestured to the pile of dead leeches in a pile on one side of the elevator.

"Oh, alright then, but we should get going. Dr. Marcus' probably waiting for us." Matt pushed the elevator doors open and we stepped into a rusty boiler room.

The boiler made steaming noises and the rust gave the room an orange glow. But we didn't notice. What we did notice were the leeches that covered the walls. They oozed along the ceiling too, nearly covering the lights.

"Welcome children." A booming voice said.

There stood Dr. Marcus in the exact outfit that he wore in the portrait. He seemed completely healthy, but something was off about him. His figure shifted every so often, it was like he was a piece of jelly that moved when touched.

"You seem surprised. Didn't William and Albert tell you about your brothers and sisters?" Dr. Marcus gestured to the leeches plastering the walls.

What did he mean by Birkin and Wesker telling us about?

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at the leeches.

Surely he didn't think we were like those leeches?

"You two share the same DNA as these leeches, only with a different purpose. These leeches are part of the B.O.W. or Bio Organic Weapon project. They were designed to be ultimate killing machines using a strand of the Progenitor virus known as the T-virus. As you can see, there is still much work to be done, but I'm sure William and Albert have already improved them in my absence." Dr. Marcus paused to take a breath.

While he was catching his breath, I turned to Matt.

"Who would want a Bio Organic Weapon?" I whispered to him.

Matt simply shrugged, but I could tell he wasn't telling me something. Then I remembered the time when Matt made fun of monsters coming and destroying the city. It made Mr. Birkin very upset. Were these leeches truly created to destroy complete populations? The thought of those leech monsters coming into a city or town and completely killing off an entire population seemed completely possible. But what would you do with the remaining B.O.W.s?

"You're purpose on the other hand is completely different from those of the B.O.W.s." Dr. Marcus explained.

"You're purpose is to control the B.O.W.s. After creating the first B.O.W.s, we soon realized that they needed to be controlled, in case they were to, get out of hand. We knew that the people that would control them would need to be totally resistant to the virus that controls the B.O.W.s. and eventually become infected. So, we tested thousands of young infants, looking for two children with perfect DNA that would be immune to the T-virus. That's when we found you two. You two had the exact immunity we were looking for. We took you in and I planned to raise you to be intelligent, trained soldiers who knew no fear, no emotion. But my plans were foiled when Spencer, the founder of Umbrella had me assassinated by Albert and William. Luckily, I was saved by my own experiment, the Queen Leech and now I'm a new man. By how you two navigated through the mansion, it seems that Albert and William did somewhat follow through on my plans. Now, my children join me as we take our revenge on the Umbrella Corporation, and the world will burn in an inferno of hate!" Dr. Marcus finished, stretching his arms out.

I turned to Matt, who looked just as bewildered as I did.

"What should we do?" I asked him, looking over at Dr. Marcus.

"How should I know? What do you do when a crazy old man asks you to exact revenge on the company that's sheltered you you're whole life?" Matt replied, a worried look on his face.

"You obey." A new voice answered.

A young man in his twenties stepped in from the shadows. The man had long, dark hair that gave him the appearance of a woman and he was adorned in white robes.

"And who are you?" Matt looked suspiciously at the new man.

"I am the Queen Leech, and if you refuse to join us, I'm sure my children would enjoy a midnight snack."

On cue the leeches began to close in on Matt and me.

"Huh, so you're a woman then?" Matt laughed nervously.

"Silence child! You are a fool to mock the Queen Leech! You will pay for your actions!" The Queen Leech gestured to Dr. Marcus who started to choke.

He then threw up a leech that came oozing out of his mouth. The leech fell to the floor and joined the others. Dr. Marcus then began to throw up two more leeches before his form began to shift. His skin and clothes turned a sickly green and his body became gelatinous. His arms and head suddenly extended from his body and twisted into crocked tentacles.

"Run!" Matt cried, turning in the other direction. Matt and I ran towards the elevator, only to be blocked by a sea of leeches.

"We don't have time for this!" Matt took out his gun and started to shoot at the leeches.

"Wait Matt, let me. You keep Dr. Marcus busy." I took out my knife and began to slash at the wall of leeches.

Matt turned around to see the mutated Dr. Marcus approaching him.

"Die!" Matt shot at Dr. Marcus with his handgun.

I had finally slashed though just enough leeches to pull the door open.

"Let's go!" I cried.

Matt swirled around and ran towards the door, Dr. Marcus close behind. Matt slammed the door right behind Dr. Marcus.

"We don't have much time!" Matt and I ran towards the elevator.

I had just activated the elevator when Dr. Marcus pushed open the door with his slimy tentacles. "We better run!" Matt began to help me up when he looked to see Dr. Marcus was beginning to scale the elevator rail.

"Oh crap!" Matt's hand slipped and let go of my hand.

I desperately grabbed on to the elevator rail, knowing Dr. Marcus was close behind me.

"Matt, help!" I cried, trying to climb back onto the elevator.

I finally was able to grab onto the elevator, but Matt kicked my hand off.

"Matt, what the hell?" I tried grabbing back onto the elevator, but Matt continued to push me off.

"Don't you get it, Tina? We're _supposed to die_. Wesker had us injected with that special medicine, so that when we die, we'll come back to life as better, stronger, more superior beings." Matt took off his sunglasses to reveal the golden animal eyes of a cat.

"You, you're already dead." I realized.

The blood stains on his shirt, and the new vest and sunglasses. And all this time, he was trying to make me the same.

"So you were trying to _kill_ me?" I realized out loud.

"You'll survive anyway. You'll be _reborn_. Trust me Tina, it's great. We won't be confined to a room for the rest of our lives. We won't have to listen to Birkin anymore. We could do _anything_. There's no limit to what we could do." Matt kneeled down to me.

"Trust me on this, it's great." Matt held out his handgun at my face.

I looked at Matt, his feral eyes staring into mine. It was then I saw a new person. This wasn't the Matt I had known all my life. This wasn't the Matt that made jokes and never listened to authority. This Matt, a hunter corrupted by the Progenitor virus with no sense of humanity. And I was about to lose my humanity too.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

July 23, 1998 The Arklay Mountains: Just Outside the Training Facility

Matt missed. My eyes were closed, waiting for death to close around me. But nothing happened. I heard the gunshot loud and clear, but there was no pain. I opened my eyes to see that Matt had somehow disappeared from the elevator lift. I climbed back on and turned around to see the towering mutated Dr. Marcus, one of his tentacles wrapped around Matt.

"Tina, help me!" Matt yelled toward me, hands outstretched in my direction.

Dr. Marcus wasn't pursuing me, for he was too busy with Matt. This was my chance to get away from the nightmare, but what about Matt? Should I save the monster that only moments ago was trying to murder me? I picked up his handgun and took out my handgun as well. With one gun in each hand, I began firing at Dr. Marcus. Somewhere along the way, I had actually got a good hit and the mutated Dr. Marcus squirmed and dropped Matt. Matt caught himself on the elevator rail and began climbing back up with immense speed. Even though he caught up with the elevator in mere seconds, I was already on him, pointing both of the guns at his head.

"What? You're really going to try and shoot me? You're a crack shot, and we both know that." Matt gave me a devilish grin.

"But by all means, do try." Matt put his arms up, as if to surrender.

But I knew better. I put away the handguns, carefully watching him. He seemed surprised and his grin disappeared into a curious stare.

"What are you doing?" he asked, rubbing his chin.

I smiled, seeing the green tentacle slithering behind him.

"I don't have to do anything." I said, and I jumped back.

Matt looked up just in time to see Dr. Marcus collapse his whole body onto the elevator lift. The elevator finally reached the entrance of the facility, having been cleverly hidden around the back. It was still pitch night, and I estimated that it was somewhere between two and four A.M. I pushed the green button on the elevator switchbox and the elevator descended into the darkness, with Dr. Marcus along with it. I then used the last bullet from Matt's handgun to take out the switchbox, hoping nobody would ever discover the horror that lay inside that facility again. But…

"It's long from over, isn't it?" I turned around to see Matt, bloody and crushed, but still alive.

I looked around for any means of killing him. He was unarmed as well, but I knew he was dangerous. He walked completely casually, as if nothing had happened at all. He brushed some of the blood from his face and smiled.

"I'm a bit dirty, you got a towel?" He asked casually.

I stepped back.

"Stay away from me." I said.

"Now, Tina. Relax, I don't have a weapon, and you must be out of ammo, seeing how you pumped so much lead into that plant monster not too long ago." Matt smiled, pointing to the guns strapped to me.

I took out my own gun and fired. The bullet actually hit Matt in the stomach. He stumbled back, but no blood spilled from his chest.

"Isn't it awesome? I'm a killing god. I could take down a hundred of those monsters with my bare hands. I am perfect." Matt said as he reveled at himself.

"You're not perfect. You're power has turned you into a murderer, and a jerk." I countered.

"Why you…" Matt grunted and tore across the grass to attack me.

He ran so fast that I could barely see him move at all. He punched me on the left side of my cheek. I could feel more punches coming, but I could barely see where he was. At last, he finally stopped. I could feel blood streaming down my face and my mouth. My vision was completely blurred, and I was seeing three Matts standing over me.

"It ends here." I heard him say, although his voice was distant and muffled.

I looked up, and not too far away I could see a pair of big, yellow lights dancing in the distance. For a minute I could have sworn that I was seeing the eyes of those mutant dogs again, but as the lights grew closer, I could hear sound too, the chugging I had heard at the station. I realized that it was a train, as I regained a bit of my sight. The Ecliptic Express came clearly into view, its headlights shining right at us. It was tearing wildly through the grass, for it had somehow gone off-rail. Suddenly, I felt a force brutally push me miles into the air. I flew high through the air, and I was able to look up into the night sky. For a moment, I stood still in the atmosphere, floating almost. The night sky was so beautiful, it was like looking at it for the first time. Then I hit a tree.

I woke with my head throbbing. I looked around and realized I was still in the forest. The trees and branches had collapsed directly above where I had fallen. There was blood staining the grass, but whatever wounds I might have had had disappeared. Had I really survived falling through all that? I got up, feeling somewhat dizzy as I stood on my feet. I rubbed my head, and remembered the train, and Matt. I caught the scent of smoke in the air. I ran toward the scent, and I saw the train had crashed into the training facility. A blaze had started where the train had crashed. I remembered something had flung me out of the way during the collision, but what? Or who, I remembered Matt had been there too. But had he the one who threw me? But he was trying to kill me and the train had presented the perfect opportunity to do so. So, if didn't fling me, what did? Was it just the train itself, impacting me and sending me into midair? That may have been a possibility, but it seemed more likely for me to be crushed by the train than be ejected by it. Or had someone else saved me? But that possibility was far-fetched. There was no way someone had flung me with such immense force and still have enough time to save his own hide. I approached the train why caution, remembering the leeches that attacked the train in the first place. The train had flipped on its side, preventing me for entering it. I leaned down and saw the place where Matt had once stood was covered in blood. An arm stuck out where Matt was suppose to be standing. I stood up and took one last glance at Matt, as I had once known him. And I saw the mansion, standing on the nearby mountain. I wasn't going there to find my parents, I was going to find the truth. About what I was, and what the monsters I was suppose to contain were.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 

July 24, 1998 The Arklay Manor

I walked for what seemed like hours in the dark forest. The sun was peeking out of the horizon and I was growing tired. I had gone a whole night without sleep on excitement and adrenaline, but now I was exhausted. The mansion was just ahead and I was determined to find my old room and crash. But I knew I couldn't, not now at least. But I was so tired. All I had was the information Dr. Marcus had lectured to Matt and I in the facility basement, and it wasn't very much to go on. He said something about finding us as young infants, but does that mean that parents we grew up with aren't really our parents at all? Or did it mean that we were somehow by chance conceived by the very people who were searching for us. I realized that my second idea seemed far-fetched and silly. What would be the odds of that happening? But if my first idea was correct, then who were my real parents? Were they important figures or average civilians? Are they still alive today? I had so many questions running through my head I felt like I was about to faint from the weight of my own brain. I just needed to rest. Truth or no truth, there was no way I could go on without stopping to rest. I saw the mansion right in front of me, looking dark and gloomy in dawn. I opened the mansion doors, a creaking noise echoing throughout the halls. I slowly climbed up the grand staircase to my old room. I opened the wooden door to my room, totally untouched since the last time I had been here. I collapsed on my own bed, really to fall asleep.

"Goodnight Matt." I said, as the world closed around me.

But Matt wasn't there.

I awoke as the sun began to set, the last light fading from my eyes. I lifted myself off my bed, my clothes wrinkly and dirty from the night before. I walked over to my computer and tried to turn it on. The screen popped on as usual and I proceeded to log onto the internet. I went to the website search engine at the top of the screen, and began researching. But what were you suppose to call a monster that you thought was dead, or a giant leech that climbs elevators? So, I went with my best answer. Nothing showed up about a Bio Organic Weapon, but I was able to find something called a "zombie". It perfectly described the monster that attacked Matt, but it gave no explanation as to what may have caused the transformation, or if there was a possible cure. Before I could research anymore, my computer screen became fuzzy, and Wesker's face appeared on it.

"Tina, so nice to see you've made it so far." Wesker said, his syrupy voice coming from the computer's speakers.

"What did you do to Matt?" I yelled into the computer's mircophone in fury.

How could he have interfered with the connection like that? Then I remembered that Wesker worked for Umbrella, and Umbrella owns the mansion. It probably has interference systems for important announcements. Or to piss someone off.

"Matthew has found himself. He's moved on from the human race to become something much better. I hope you'll soon join him." Wesker smiled crookedly.

"You turned Matt into a monster! It was that medicine you injected into us at the facility, wasn't it? It somehow made him insane!" I slammed my hands onto the keyboard.

"Matthew was only doing what was in your best interest. You see, death is the only way the virus can activate. Matthew was trying to do you a favor." Wesker sneered, like I had been ungrateful.

Death? That was why Matthew was trying to kill me. So I could be like him? Not because the virus made him crazy, or could it be both? And what about Wesker? Did he have the same virus running through his veins? And…

"How did Matt die?" I bluntly asked.

A sneaky grin appeared on Wesker's face.

"Well, Tina I'm afraid I can't give you the answer. But of course, as usual, the answer is right in front of you. Now, I'm afraid I'm a bit pressed for time, so please excuse me. I'll be seeing you soon Tina." Wesker took off his glasses to reveal deep green eyes.

"And, be careful." Wesker finished.

The computer screen went blank. I tried turning it on again, but someone seemed to have cut off its power. It seemed as if Wesker didn't know that Matt was dead now. Or he felt confident enough that the virus would help him survive being crushed by a train. Suddenly, I hear a rapping on the door. Who could that be? Could it be one of the scientists? To tell you the truth, I'd had not seen any scientists or caretakers since I'd gotten here. Maybe I'd just been too tired to notice, but I don't think anyone tried to confront me either. It was like everyone had disappeared. The rapping on the door continued, I had begun to cross the room when I heard a faint groan from the other side of the door. What if this person was like the monster that Matt and I had run into at the facility? I pulled out my handgun and carefully turned the knob of the door. The gardener stumbled in. His white shirt was stained with blood, and his flesh seemed to be rotting on all parts of his body.

"Tina? Is…that…you?" the gardener was having trouble breathing, and he was hunched over.

The gardener looked injured, for blood seemed to be seeping from his shirt.

"Yes, it's me. Are you alright?" I calmly asked.

"I…need a…herb Tina…I'm…injured. Please...help…me. There're…monsters…everywhere." The gardener just finished when he started coughing up blood.

Monsters, possibly the same monsters that Matt and I saw at the training facility. And what about the herb he was talking about? Could this herb help Matt as well?

"What does the herb look like?" I asked, curiously.

"It's green…they grow them…all over the…mansion." The gardener explained as he sat down on my bed.

I don't remember any green plants being in the mansion. But then again, I didn't really take the time to explore the mansion.

"Alright, I'll get you a herb." I nod and help him lie down on my bed.

"Be…careful." He mumbled as I closed the door.

I closed the door softly, for it seems like he'd fallen asleep. What if this herb could help Matt too? What if it could turn him back to normal? But I didn't know if it could even help the gardener. Hopefully I could find one before it was too late. Maybe they grew outside. I found my way to the front door alright, but once I was outside, a chilly wind picked up. But it wasn't a wind. It was a landing helicopter. Maybe they were here to help the people here. I ran towards the helicopter, only to be stopped by a pack of vicious dogs. They looked like the same dogs Matt and I had encountered in the forest, but they didn't seem to notice me. Maybe they were heading for the people in the helicopter. I carefully snuck around them to get to the helicopter, which had landed not too far from the mansion. The dogs soon took off at a breakneck pace in the direction of the helicopter. I follow the pack as closely as I could as they raced towards the helicopter. As they begin to slow down, I hide behind a tall tree. The pack appears to surround the helicopter, but the landed team doesn't seem to notice them. They were all shining flashlights around the forest, which were attached to their guns. So they have guns? That would be useful, but what were these people here for? I slowly turn around from the tree, to see five figures. One was a lean soldier type with a green vest. Another was larger, with a mustache and a red vest. One was tall and built, but he was too far away for me to see him clearly. There was a girl too, her hair covered with a beret and a blue outfit. Another seemed very jittery, he was constantly checking behind him and adjusting his bandana. The last one was still in the helicopter, seeming scared and nervous. The dogs came out of their hiding places and attacked. I saw that the team member with the bandana was being attacked by the dogs. His screams of pain was probably heard throughout the forest. The team was beginning to fall back, but before they all retreated, the girl, turned her face from the dogs and saw me for a split second. Our eyes met, and I swear she was about to say something. But the dogs had finished with their team member and were eyeing the girl. She took off with the rest of the team and the dogs continued to pursue them. As soon as I knew they were gone, I stood up and looked around. The ground was covered in blood, and bullets lay on the ground. I saw that the helicopter that the people had come in was still there. I approached the helicopter carefully, in case someone was in it. I saw the body of someone shaking inside the helicopter. I hid behind a tree to conceal myself. But before I could approach of nervous man, another figure jumped out from behind the shadows. The person leaped onto the helicopter and started banging on the windshield of the helicopter. The man inside the helicopter screamed in terror and began punching at the helicopter's controls. The chopper churned to life and the man started steering around the small clearing, trying to shake off the figure. The person atop the helicopter held tight to the chopper, but one last swerve by the pilot and the figure lost his balance and dived into the woods. The chopper rose higher into the sky and zoomed off. I stared up at the sky where the helicopter had disappeared to a little longer. Who were those people? And were they looking for Matt and I? Would they take me back if there found out that Matt's dead? And who was that thing that scared the man in the helicopter off? I slumped down against a tree when I saw a peculiar plant that caught my eye. It looked just like the grass around it, but it was higher than the grass and it had leaves instead of the sprigs of grass. I crawled over to the plant and rooted it out of the ground. It matched the description of the herb that the gardener was looking for. I slipped the herb into my pocket and headed off towards the mansion.

I had reached the mansion only to find the front doors strangely locked. I tugged on the doors as hard as I could, but they simply wouldn't budge. I walked around to the window in the dinning room. With Matt's knife, I cut open the glass so that I could squeeze through the window. The dining room was empty, except for the pool of blood on the floor. I bent down to examine it. Whose blood was it? I remembered the gardener, and I ran over to the dining room doors only to be stopped by a falling body. I jumped back in surprise, hitting my head against a dining room chair. The grandfather clock was clicking away every second ominously. I looked as the fallen body stood up and turned in my direction. The man was obscenely pale and his flesh was peeling off from his hands and body. His eyes were a milky pale, and all of his hair had all fallen off. He was just like the monster Matt and I had met at the facility. He must have fallen from the floor above. I reached for my gun and pulled it out. Just then, four large crows came crashing through the windows. I carefully aimed my gun and pulled the trigger. But there was one problem: I was out of ammo.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I ducked as the crows swooped in on me. I crawled under the table to hide, but the crows fled in through the chairs and the monster had stood up and was pursuing me, reaching under the table with his boney fingers. I curled up into a ball in terror. As I froze up in fear, so did the birds. They perched themselves on top of the table, waiting for me. The monster even stopped, standing up and wandering aimlessly around the room. Then I realized, these monsters react to movement. But if I moved, the monsters would find me again, and I had no means as to fighting them off. My gun was useless now, but if I were to find some ammo…

"Barry, look out, it's a monster!" a woman bursting through the side door said.

Another monster followed the woman into the dining room. Barry, who I had no idea was there, shot down the monster.

"What the hell is this thing?" Barry asked the woman.

"I found Kenneth, killed by this thing. Let's report this to Wesker." the woman replied.

Just then, the monster and the crows came towards them. Barry used his gun to shoot down the crows while Jill took care of the monster. She skillfully shot down the monster with only three shots, efficient even for Matt. The monster slumped onto the floor, right next to me. I cupped my hand over my mouth to avoid gasping as the monster fell down right next to me, spilling blood over the tile floor. Jill and Barry continued through the dining room door to the main hallway. As soon as they closed the door, I let out a sigh of relief. But I knew that my problems were far from over. I climbed out from under the table. The grandfather clock ticked away as I crossed the hallway and peeked through the dining room door. Barry and Jill were in the main hall.

"Wesker?" Barry called, looking around the hall.

"Jill, help me look for him, but let's not leave this hall." Barry told Jill.

"Good idea." Jill replied.

Jill and Barry searched the hallway for Wesker. I recognized Jill and Barry, they were two of the people who came from the helicopter earlier. So the person I couldn't see was Wesker, and while I was outside Wesker was in the main hall. He must have been the one who locked the main door. But if he was last seen in the main hall, well he could be anywhere now.

"Barry…" Jill said as she and Barry regrouped.

"Find anything?" Barry asked.

"No, nothing. What's going on here? I can't figure it out." Jill reported as she paced the hallway.

"Same here." Barry replied, looking to the floor.

"Chris and now Wesker!" Jill cried, looking to Barry.

"There's not much we can do. We can search for them separately. I'll investigate the dining room again." Barry told Jill.

"Alright then. I'll try the door on the other side." Jill replied.

Barry sighed.

"This mansion is gigantic. We could easily get lost. Let's start from the first floor." Barry suggested.

"Ok." Jill replied.

These people were obviously working with Wesker, so I knew it would be best to avoid them at all costs. But what were they here for? Were they looking for Matt and I? As I peeked through the dining room door, I then realized that Barry was heading towards the dining hall, in my direction. I rushed back to the dining room table, and dove under the table just as the door creaked open.

"Hmm, I wonder where the kitchen is." Barry thought aloud.

So he wasn't looking for me at all, he was just hungry. But why were the here in the mansion with Wesker? Barry continued to wander around the dining hall, when I knew that the kitchen was being renovated and was currently sealed off.

"I could definitely go for a sandwich right now." Barry commented, rubbing his belly.

This was insane, I bet that man would spend an hour looking for the kitchen, never finding it! I needed a quick getaway, the gardener was waiting for me. I hope I'm not too late…

"Barry, what the hell are you doing?" It was Wesker's voice, and I heard his footsteps echo around the hallway.

Oh no, I scooted myself to the corner of the table opposite of them. I curled up tighter into a ball, praying that nobody would notice me.

"Oh, Captain Wesker, I didn't see you come in. Where have you been?" Barry asked, seeming surprised.

"Barry, I want to make a deal with you. I want to have the other team members…eliminated. I need your help though." Wesker said calmly.

This was just like Wesker, making other people do his dirty work. Just like Matt, he wants Barry to get rid of someone because he won't do it himself.

"What, Wesker you can't be serious." Barry cried in shock.

"Yes I can. You see, there are some secrets in this mansion that I'd like to keep, hidden. So, to insure that nobody finds out about them, I need the S.T.A.R.S. to be eliminated." Wesker explained.

"This is wrong Wesker, but why tell me? I thought you'd confide in…" Barry began.

"Never mind what you thought. Now, you're first assignment is to locate Enrico, the leader of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team. He's a top priority, as I suspect that he already knows something." Wesker explained.

"You can't make me do anything!" Barry bravely stated.

"Oh really, you never were the sharpest tool in the shed. Well, maybe your family can pay for your actions." Wesker threatened.

"My family? What do they have to do with any of this?" Barry asked.

Wesker took out a photo from his vest pocket.

"Well, you have a wife and two daughters am I right?" Wesker cruelly asked.

"What do they have to do with this?" Barry asked, shivering.

"Well, it would be terrible if something were to happen to them…" Wesker began, looking at the picture.

"Alright then, what do you want me to do?" Barry sighed, giving in.

"First I want you to take care of Jill Valentine. Lure her into areas containing monsters or B.O.W.s. Send her on fool's errands. Have her find a sandwich for you, I don't know. Just get rid of her." Wesker instructed.

So the monsters in the mansion were also B.O.W.s like the leeches and Dr. Marcus at the facility. But the virus was in humans, not in leeches. How did the virus get into humans?

"Alright then Captain. Just, just don't hurt my family ok?" Barry pleaded.

"If you do what I ask, I'll assure you that you and your family will be fine." Wesker mumbled.

Barry and Wesker left the room. I got up from under the table. I peeked into the main hallway. When I discovered that it was empty, I ran through it as fast as I could. I dashed up the stairs and through the upstairs hallway until I reached my room. The gardener was still lying down on the bed. His condition had obviously worsened, as he was occasionally hurling up strange liquid and his skin was abnormally pale.

"You…came…with…herb." The gardener has able to puff out.

"Don't try to speak now. I have the herb, just hold still." I told him.

"Book…read." The gardener dragged his finger to point at a green book on the desk.

I didn't remember the book being there when I had left. Maybe the gardener had put it down there before lying down. The cover read: "Herbs and Plants: A Guide to Natural Healing". I picked up the book and noticed that someone, possibly the gardener had bookmarked a passage. It was on a special herb that grew natively in the Arklay Mountains . It was the herb that the gardener had me get! The book also explained how to apply it to wounds. That's why the gardener told me to read the book. I walked over to the gardener, and carefully following the instructions, applied the herb to the gardener's wound.

"You're going to be fine now." I reassured him.

The gardener looked at me, a sad expression on his face. With weak hands, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a packet of handgun ammo.

"Take…it." The gardener said, as he placed the ammo into my hand.

I inserted the ammo into my gun, and thanked the gardener. We sat there for what seemed like awhile, in silence, at one point the gardener fell asleep, and so did I.

I was rudely awoken by a pounding on the door.

"Open up! I know you're in there!" It was Wesker's voice.

I panicked. What was he going to do with us? Was he planning on killing us, or taking us to Umbrella for more experimentation? Wesker, not being a patient man, kicked open the door, armed with his handgun. He calmly strolled into the room, with his hands behind his back.

"I suspected you'd be in this room." He said, observing the room.

Wesker looked down and noticed the gardener on my bed, who somehow was still sleeping. He took his handgun out and shot the gardener clean in the head.

"What did you do that for?" I screamed, seeing the gardener's blood had splattered all over the bedroom wall.

"He was a civilian, Umbrella wouldn't be interested in saving him." Wesker calmly explained, looking out the window.

I stared at the gardener, who was now lying dead on the ground, blood pouring out from the bullet in between his eyes. I saw the sight of the gardener, his limp, lifeless body. I looked at Wesker, his cold, blank, unaltered stare. And I knew that I never wanted to join this man. I grabbed the remainder of the herb and dashed to the door. Wesker quickly followed, drawing out his gun. I ran through the hallways, heading to the staircase. I jogged down the stairs to the main hallway, uncertain of where my chase would lead me. Wesker slid down the stairs with precision. I ran towards the art gallery, slamming the door behind me. I knew there wasn't much time, so I took the chair in the art gallery's sitting room and jammed it against the door. I heard Wesker banging against the door, trying to enter. I backed away slowly, in fear.

"_Get behind me._" A soft, ghostly voice called from a distance.

I turned around to see a hunched, hideous creature inching toward me. Its face was completely covered with what looked like human skin, and it's thin, boney arms were chained together with a wooden block. I had trouble believing that this was the thing that had spoken to me, but there was no other being in the room. I swallowed hard, smelling rotten flesh on the creature as it swayed back and forth. I tentatively crouched behind the creature as it inched towards the door. Wesker had all but broken the door, and the chair was giving way. The creature smashed the chair out of the way and Wesker flung open the doors.

"You, you're Lisa Trevor." Wesker spoke, harshly.

Lisa let out a growl and attacked Wesker with her bound arms, hitting him with the wooden block. Wesker fell to the ground but only for a moment, and was already beginning to get up.

"_Run._" Lisa called, turning to me for a mere second.

"Wait." Wesker groaned as he tried to stand up.

I bolted through the right doorway, running as fast as I could. I was halfway through the hallway when I heard the crashing of glass. Two mutated dogs leaped into the hallway, landing perfectly on their feet. They growled at the sight of me, and started running in my direction. I ran faster, seeing a door up ahead. I flung the door open and closed it on one of the dog's muzzles. I rested myself against the door with a sigh. I could hear the dogs pounding against the door, and I knew that they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. I looked around. I had wound up in a small, dirty bathroom. The tub was full of blood which gave the room a foul odor. The sink mirror was cracked and some of the tiles were misplaced or missing all together. I tried turning on the sink, but no water ran from it. I then turned my attention to the cracked mirror. The gardener was dead, Wesker wasn't far behind on my trail, and I was stuck in a disgusting bathroom with two dogs breathing at the door. In anger, I punched the bathroom mirror. The mirror completely shattered, revealing a small, hidden cupboard. In the cupboard was a potted herb, and a small bottle of, something. I then felt a sharp jolt of pain, and noticed that a piece of glass was stuck in my hand. I painfully yanked out the piece of glass and used some of the herb on the wound. After applying the leaves to the wound, the leaves turned brown, and turned to dust. I pocketed the rest of the herb and took a look at the bottle. Its label was scratched off, but I could make out the Red Cross symbol on the side of the bottle. I tried using it and it sprayed out some green spray. I figured it was medicine and put it with the herb. There wasn't anything else in the cupboard so I also started looking for something else. I looked to the tub of blood in disgust and saw that there was something at the bottom of the tub. I carefully reached into the tub and felt around for the drain. I winced when I felt something at the bottom of the tub. I let out a sigh of relief when I realized it was the drain. I pulled the drain and the tub emptied. At the very bottom lay a dead body, and some ammo. I picked it up and saw that the bullets were intact, but they weren't handgun bullets. There weren't as many, and they were larger. Then I saw the gun lying at the edge of the tub. It was a small revolver. I picked it up, but I saw that a string was attached to it. The string snapped as soon as I picked it up. Then, I heard a reeling sound coming from above me and the sound of a large object, moving. I looked around, but nothing had changed. Then, a piece of rock fell next to me. I looked up and saw that the ceiling was slowly lowering itself. I ran towards the door but I heard the dogs barking furiously, pounding their paws against the door. I loaded the revolver with bullets and kicked the door open. The two dogs ran in towards me. I narrowly jumped over the dogs and used me foot to slam the door behind them. I gagged as I heard the crunching sounds as the dogs whined.

"Very sloppy." Wesker commented, standing above me.

I snarled at him as I stood up. He pointed his handgun at me before I could completely stand.

"You've been very unruly. It's too bad the virus I injected you with has probably worn off. William had such high hopes for you. Oh well, try, try again." Wesker gave a crooked smile before he pulled the trigger.

The last thing I heard before I completely blacked out, was the angry cry of a woman, and it definitely didn't come from me.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

July 25, 1998 Arklay Laboratory

I woke up in a basement. Or was it a cellar? I wasn't sure. All I know is that the floors were made of metal, and it was dark, very dark. I felt around me and felt a small piece of paper. It was too dark to see what was written on it, but I picked it up and put it away anyway. I slowly stood up and felt around for some sort of light switch. Instead, I tripped over an object on the ground and fell to my feet. I saw that the thing I slipped on was a flashlight. I picked it up and tried turning it on. A dim, yellow light illuminated from the flashlight, barely giving me an idea of where I was. The room was some sort of hallway. Behind me was a case of stairs and in front of me stretched a wide hallway with many doors and windows. The hallway was a complete mess. Some of the doors had been smashed through, and most of the windows had been shattered. The hallway was completely dark, and I could hear the faint sound of moving in the distance.

First I tried the staircase, but the door was locked from the other side. That only left me the long hallway and the many numbered doors. Then I noticed something on the wall near the staircase. It was a map of some sort. Upon further investigation, I realized that it was a map of the complex. It showed most of the area, but the very last few rooms were obscured in a red substance. Was this place an expansion of the mansion? Had I actually found the secret laboratory where my parents worked? I looked at the map and saw that each room had an assigned number, but I had absolutely no idea which one my parents worked in. I started with the first room, Room A1. Inside the room had a bed, a small refrigerator, and a small TV. There was a door near the TV, which probably lead to a work area. I turned on the TV and after a few seconds of static, showed a lady on Raccoon News talking about the convict Billy Coen. Losing interest, I turned the TV off and explored the rest of the area. Near the TV was a coffee table. Nothing was on the coffee table except for a small scrap of paper. I picked it up and carefully read the messy handwriting.

_June 21, 1998_

_Nobody's alive anymore. I'm infected, but I refuse to become one of them. I've scattered all of my entries around the underground laboratory, but who's going to find it anyone? They're everywhere, those things. I see them in my sleep. I will not be like that. Ha, well I finally got my hands on some rope, I almost thought the other scientists had used all of it. Now it's my turn, goodbye cruel world._

I looked over this entry multiple times. I had no idea which scientist wrote this entry, but he did mention that he scattered these entries around the lab. It didn't look that old, and according to the date, it was written a months ago. I pocketed the piece of paper and continued on. That's when I remembered the piece of paper I had originally found on the floor. It was in my pocket, and now having light, I took out the crinkled piece of paper. It was a list of the people who worked in the lab, and their names. Of course, my parents worked in the very back of the facility, in Room C4. Guess I have quite a bit of walking to do. Before I left the room, I looked into the work room. There, to my horror, was a monster, dangling from a long noose of rope. The monster flailed his arms around wildly, his flesh falling and rotting on the ground. I closed the door, since it would be a waste of bullets to kill this man.

The hallways were, eerily empty. Papers were scattered everywhere, and the lights constantly flickered, but there was no sign of any monsters. But I wasn't Matt, I had no idea where they were. Speaking of Matt, the thought of him made my heart sink through an endless whirlpool. If the virus made Matt like that, I should probably avoid it at all costs. But, Wesker also injected me with the virus, but he said during our encounter that the virus should have worn off. But, then he….it's all coming back now. I remember, he had me at gunpoint, and he was about to shoot me, until, oh god I can't remember. I must have gotten knocked out. Aside from that, I know my goal, find my parents. Well, now it's really to find out what happened to my parents, as there doesn't seem to be anyone still alive around here. I searched every room I could find, and collected the following three entries:

_May 21, 1998_

_The Keeper has locked himself in his room. He refuses to allow anyone in. I got a quick glimpse at him before he shut the door. His skin was rotting to the point of his muscles showing, and his eyes had become milky and pale. The few remaining scientists are still pursuing their work despite the infection. Especially Henry, he's determined to finish his study on that experimental accident called Plant 42._

_May 21, 1998_

_Oh god, I can't believe what's happened. Scott tried opening the door to the Keeper's room. He succeeded, but, the Keeper lunged out and attacked Scott. He died, because nobody could save him. I can't believe it, even the Keeper's turned into one of them. We've locked the Keeper back into his room, but who knows how long it'll be before he gets out again._

_May 7, 1998_

_I sent a couple of blood samples to Greg Mueller at the facility in Raccoon City. I don't know exactly why he needed the samples, all he told me is that he and a friend of his were trying to create some sort of antidote. An antidote for the T-virus perhaps? I hope it is, because I'm sick of hearing about these experiments all day._

The entry that stuck out the most to me was the final entry, which was dated earlier than the rest. It stated about giving blood samples to create some sort of cure for the T-virus. I had found it in room B2, and I was there now. If there was a cure for the T-virus, could I use it on Matt? Then I realized that Wesker had injected us with a different kind of virus, the Progenitor virus. I was just putting away the entries when I heard footsteps nearby. I quickly hid under a small desk with a computer. The door opened, and in stepped in the woman I saw in the forest and in the main hallway, Jill. She no longer seemed to have a handgun, but a longer, larger gun. That must have been the shotgun that Matt had told me about yesterday. She started to come closer, and I was afraid that she might spot me. She came over to the computer and sat down on it's chair. I squeezed my eyes shut, fearing for the worst. Instead of confronting me, she turned on the computer. I opened my eyes to see that she wasn't looking at me. Good, I thought, she doesn't notice me. If I can stay quiet for this whole time, then I'll be home free. Jill began typing on the computer, but I couldn't tell what she was typing. After a few angry grunts and pounding her fist on the table, which startled me to the point of almost screaming, she got up and left. After I was certain she was out of the room, I got out from my hiding place and went over to the computer. Fortunately, she hadn't logged out, so I could check to see what she was up to. The computer had access to the locked doors on floor B2 and B3. Good to know, now I can go forward. But, how did that woman have access to the password that unlocked that computer? And who was she anyway? Was she like Barry, blackmailed by Wesker to do his dirty work? Then I remembered Barry and Wesker's conversation. Wesker had mentioned Jill, Barry was suppose to indirectly kill her, but did that mean she was on my side? I figured it would be best if I just didn't collide with them, and moved on.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I was in room B3 when I met with another monster. By now I was a little more use to their presence, and my eyes had gotten use to the darkness. I was a little surprised of the absence of these monsters since the journal entries I had collected described them as being everyone. Could someone have come and taken them out? This monster was completely nude and covered in blood, which disgusted me to the point of almost making me hurl. I gave it two shots, both hitting him in the chest. The monster was grudging up closer, and knowing that with my aim, I was just going to waste more ammo, I suddenly had an idea. I charged the monster and just at the right moment, I ducked under the monster's arm. The monster took forever to turn around, and I was able to escape into the next room.

_May 15, 1998_

_It's been three days since the Umbrella Corporation locked us here. One of the scientists tried to escape today. A helicopter was leaving the mansion with the last of the research and samples. And then one of the scientists, I think he was in R&D, went up to the helicopter when none of the guards were looking and tried sneaking on. But just as he got on, one of the men in black Umbrella gear noticed him climbing on and shot him down. They left his body there, on the heliport, as the men left. But during the afternoon, when we went to pick up the body, all we found was a trail of blood, leading back into the mansion._

_May 18, 1998_

_Larry tells me that the facility dogs are starting to act up, and that someone's been stealing some of his dog kibble. We still haven't found the body of that guy that died on the helipad. People are also starting to act strange as well. There's Tommy, he's usually the funny guy who's cracking all the jokes. Now he barely speaks and he's always scratching his face or his arm. One of the other scientists, John told me that his skin is starting to peel off as well. John showed me, and it was repulsive. You could see the muscle and everything. He was one of the really smart ones you know, the real researchers. All I do is study blood samples, not like him. He has access to security and studies some super secret thing that he can't even talk about. He's even got a girlfriend, some girl named Ada. But there is something wrong going on. It's been six days and they still haven't let anyone out._

_May 12, 1998_

_A bunch of Umbrella executives came to the mansion today and announced that nobody would be leaving the mansion for security reasons. It was something about a bug that had been going around. Whatever it is, that's fine with me, I don't really have any friends outside of work, and my living quarters at the mansion is much nicer than my apartment back in Raccoon City. My working partner, Sandra seemed upset at not being able to leave the mansion. Maybe it's because she actually has a family to get home to, unlike me._

I finally made it to room C4. I was exhausted, and my first thought was to collapse onto the makeshift bed and take a long nap. But then I remembered that I had to find out the truth. I could nap when I found the truth. The room was so much messier than the rest of the rooms. Papers were everywhere and the walls were covered in blood. It was very interesting finding this room. It wasn't on the map near the laboratory entrance, and it was electronically locked until I came. When I came to it's door, I heard a click, and the light above changed to green. It was as if someone wanted me here. Anyway, I began searching the room, looking over all the scattered papers. It was there, in one of the piles of paper, I found the last of the entries.

_June 5, 1998_

_Nearly everyone's dead. They're everywhere, and there's nothing that'll stop them. I don't know what's going on outside of the mansion and I really don't care anymore. I have only three bullets left in my pistol, and they've surrounded Martin's room. He's probably dead now, and I'm next. If I could just run past them, but they're catching on. Some of them are fast, and then there's those giant lizards with sharp claws. I just want to go home._

_June 8, 1998_

_John died today. He told me some very important information about the zombies and he instructed to me that I write them down. He also gave me a letter to give to his girlfriend Ada, but I think I dropped it somewhere, I don't know. It's becoming harder and harder to write. My last entry took nearly an hour to write. I think I may be infected. My skin's starting to fall off. Anyone, John told me that Umbrella was experimenting with something called the T-virus. It apparently is the thing that's turned everyone into monsters. John was apparently working with something called the Tyrant, which he claims is stilled contained. He says that the outbreak wasn't by the fault of Umbrella, but of some third party. He was also saying that other scientists of Umbrella were working with the T-virus. That's all he told me before he died. I shot him before he could become a zombie. _

_May 12, 1998_

_Matt and Tina left today, the Umbrella executives told Sandra and I that we would no longer be needing anymore blood samples from them and they would be taken to another facility. It's too bad really, I was really start to see Matt as my own child, even though I've barely had a chance to get to know the kid. Sometimes I wonder about how lonely it must be to sit in his room and sit at the research center back in Raccoon City. They were orphans, we were told that their real parents died in some unfortunate accident. Darrell and Carly also were upset about not seeing Tina too. We were told to work with the blood samples we had. I wonder what they're going to do to them, knowing Umbrella, we'll probably won't ever see them again. I just hope they grow up to have real lives, and not locked up in another one of Umbrella's labs._

I took me forever to read the last entry. They weren't our parents, which I had begun to suspect anyway, but from what the scientist knew, it seemed like finding my real parents was next to impossible. I put all the entries together, and tucked them away. I slumped down onto the bed, dust and papers flying everywhere. I laid my head onto the mattress and looked up at the ceiling. I blinked once, and when I opened my eyes, a zombie was staring right back at me.

I leaped out of the bed and took out my handgun, and fired once at the monster. It hit the monster in the leg, and the monster stumbled to the ground. I got up and stepped on the monster's head. The monster's head snapped off and blood spilled all over the floor. I silently walked out of the room. I again avoid the zombie in room B3, and finally reached the first room, A1. I easily found the monster thrashing around, hung on a cord of rope. I remembered the revolver and took it out. It still had two bullets left in it. I pressed it up against the zombie's head, and fired. I then took the gun to my own head, and pulled the trigger.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

All I could see was the darkness. I felt my body shutting down, losing feeling inch by inch. I could tell my eyes were still open, even though I couldn't see out of them. I could barely feel myself hit the ground, but I knew I was on the cold metal floor. As the last bit of consciousness slipped from me, I heard the angry cry of a woman and the rattling of chains.

July 25, 1998 Tina and Matt's room in at the Arklay Manor

I felt my hand first. I couldn't see anything, or hear much. I tried moving my hand, and it perused over a soft blanket. I started regaining feeling in my other hand as well. It seemed to be under the blanket, and I could feel another kind of fabric under my hand. I was beginning to hear again, and I could hear the rattling of chains. I could finally open my eyes, and I was in my room. I turned to see what that sound was. Standing in the corner was the woman who had helped me escape Wesker. I jumped out of my bed when I saw her, but she appeared completely calm. She didn't attack me, as I somewhat expected her to do. She cocked her head slightly, as if to ask what was wrong.

"Sorry, you startled me." I told her.

I immediately questioned myself, why was I even talking to this creature? She proceeded to walk into the bathroom, gesturing me to follow her. I followed her into the bathroom and she stopped at the bathroom sink. She lifted her bound hands and gestured to the mirror. I looked into the mirror and collapsed onto the floor. Staring back at me, were two gold, catlike eyes. I blinked, and they blinked back. There was absolutely no way the virus could have lasted so long, I should be dead. This couldn't be happening, I was just like Matt, or was I? I stood up and further examined myself in the mirror. My usually brown eyes were indeed now a golden orange. My dark hair was all over my face, so I took the time to push it out of the way. The woman was already starting to hobble out the door.

"Wait!" I quickly cried to her.

The woman turned around, tentacles slightly peeking out of her skin.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The woman looked at me for a couple of seconds, even though she had no eyes that I could see. She then left the room. I didn't try to follow her, she probably had no way of telling me anyway.

I wasn't very eager to try out my new powers, but at the same time I was. I now would be able to fight off Matt. My first instinct was to test my strength. I picked a random wall in the mansion, and punched it as hard as I could. I hurt like hell, and I didn't make a single scratch on the wall. Huh, why didn't I have the power that Matt seemed to have? I was beginning to doubt my new powers, but I had to keep trying. I then tried my speed, since I remembered Matt having amazing speed back at the facility. I started in the art gallery and I nearly flew through the doors to the main hallway with such immense speed, I could barely see where I was going. I felt so good, it really did feel like I was flying through the air, but then I ran into the wall. I fell to the floor, incredibly dizzy. I sat down on the cold marble floor, holding onto my head. The grandfather clock ticked away, but I also heard footsteps. I could see a pair of dark sneakers and blue jeans. I looked up and saw a blue t-shirt, covered with a black vest. I got up onto my feet and saw dark hair, and sunglasses covering gold eyes, and a crooked grin. Matt stood right in front of me, hands behind his back. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. There was absolutely no way he could have survived being crushed by that train. Maybe I was imagining him, a figment of my imagination, created by all my loneliness and stress.

"Well? Aren't you going to welcome me?" Matt asked, tilting his head.

I backed up towards the dining room, but Matt could easily tell that I was trying to run.

"Tina, wait." Matt grabbed my arm.

I tried shaking him, but as usual, he was way too strong. Matt took off his sunglasses to reveal his gold eyes. They stared into mine for a long while, then he let go of my hand.

"How'd it happen?" Matt asked, stepping away from me.

"Huh?" I looked back at him.

"How'd you do it? Wesker said that the virus should only work within a short amount of time and you had passed that window of time." he told me.

"I don't really know." I told him.

"Well, it's good that you're still. I was starting to worry." Matt confessed.

"You were worried?" I asked, not believing him for a second.

"Yes, I was very worried!" Matt barked at me.

More silence. Matt crossed his arms, and I leaned against one of the hallway's large pillars. I'd of never thought Matt would worry about me, especially after he tried to kill me. But if he knew I was going to come back, would that make him good? Suddenly, Matt picked up the conversation again.

"So, what have you been up to?" he asked me.

I didn't know how to respond. What was I suppose to tell him? That our real parents could never be traced, and the people who we grew up thinking were our parents are dead?

"Nothing." I replied.

"Nothing? That's all you could think of? You could have at least thought up of something a little more creative." Matt countered.

Suddenly, we heard a crash come from the art gallery. Matt was instantly at the door to the art gallery. He took out his handgun and leaned against the wall.

"Well, aren't you going to help me?" He whispered over to me.

I ran over to the wall and took out my gun, Matt gestured to me to open the door. I gently pushed the door, but before either of us could enter, two large creatures burst through the door and into the hallway. The creatures were huge, having the physique of a wrestler, but they had green, scaly skin. Their yellow eyes fixated on us, and they lunged at us high into the air to attack. Matt jumped higher into the air to dodge their attacks. I tried dodging the monsters just as Matt had, but I couldn't jump as high as he could, and a monster grabbed my leg with one of it's long claws.

"Tina, kill it!" Matt commanded to me.

I had no idea what to do. The monster had me pined down, and I couldn't reach for my gun. With the other claw, the monster slashed at me. It's claws swiped my back, creating a deep gash in my back. I yelped out in pain as I felt blood drip down my back, staining my shirt with crimson blood. The monster raised it's claws to attack again, but before it could, I heard a groan behind me, and blood splattered all over my shirt.

"Look out!" Matt barked at me.

I turned to see the monster dead, and falling. I leaped out of the way as the monster fell to the floor.

"What the hell are those things!" I asked Matt.

"Those are Hunters. They've taken out a lot of the zombies here. You've really got to watch out for them." Matt told me.

"How'd you find out about them?" I asked.

"I found some slides in one of the labs about them. It also had information on those Cerberus." Matt informed me.

"The what?" I looked at Matt, unsure of what he was talking about.

"The zombie dogs that chased us to the facility." Matt explained.

"Oh, now I know what you're talking about." Tina replied.

"So what's going on with your powers? Because to be honest, if I hadn't been there, you'd be Hunter food." Matt pointed out.

That was true, but I had no clue as to what was wrong with my powers.

"I don't know." I told Matt.

"Well, that sucks. I'm sure that once we get back to Birkin, he'll explain everything." Matt predicted.

I somewhat doubted that. After all I've been through, I don't really want to go back to living under an Umbrella again.

"I was thinking…" I started.

"Yeah?" Matt asked.

"I was actually thinking of running away from Umbrella after we get out of here." I confessed to him.

I mean, Umbrella had just been using us this whole time, and to be honest, I'd like to know what it's like to have a normal life, like Sherry.

"Are you crazy? With our powers, we could do so much more than just be regular kids." Matt said.

"We could do anything." he told me.

"That may be true, but I think I'd rather just have a normal life." I told him.

"Whatever. Let's just focus on getting out of here for now." Matt said.

The main door creaked open easily, but Matt was skeptical about going outside.

"What if we run into more Cerberus?" he asked.

"Well, we certainly can't stay here." I told him.

We were just outside the mansion when we heard a familiar voice.

"And just where are you two going?" Wesker calmly asked us.

His clothes were covered in blood, and there was a large hole in his shirt and vest. For once we wasn't wearing sunglasses. He raised his head to reveal gold, catlike eyes.

"Oh crap, run Tina!" Matt yelled as he took off into the forest. I quickly followed him, running as fast as I possibly could. I could hear Wesker swiftly catching up to us.

"You can't run forever!" he yelled back at us.

The forest was blurry with us going so fast. I couldn't afford to look behind me for a second, for fear of crashing into something. I had no idea where I was going, but all I knew is that Matt was beside me. We were about a mile into the forest when we heard a very loud crash behind us. On the ground, I could see red and orange lights flickering.

"Don't look back! We can do this!" Matt told me.

He grabbed my hand and began running even faster through the forest. But we soon began to tire, and we finally decided to rest at the edge of the forest. From the hill we rested on, we could see the lights of Raccoon City in the distance. Matt flung himself to the grassy dirt. I lied down on the ground as well as we stared into the starry night sky. As we watched the night sky, we saw a helicopter fly over us and then disappear into the city.

"Well, what do we do now?" Matt asked, turning to me.

"I have no idea." I told him.

"I still think we should try to find Birkin." Matt suggested.

"I think I've had enough of Umbrella to last me a lifetime." I told him.

"But there is still work to be done." Matt reminded me.

"What if I don't want to work with Umbrella anymore?" I burst out at Matt.

"Hey, I didn't say anything about continuing to work for Umbrella, I was just thinking of confronting Birkin with what we know." Matt explained.

I still didn't like the idea. Where were we going to confront Birkin anyway? We certainly couldn't sneak into the Umbrella facility in Raccoon City where he works.

"I still don't like that idea." I told Matt.

"Well then, making plans are we?" a voice came from nearby.

Matt and I whipped around to see Wesker, leaning against a tree. Matt immediately drew out his gun, but Wesker grabbed him, and held him by the throat.

"Run Tina! I'll be fine!" Matt choked out to me.

"I wouldn't suggest that princess. Think of what would happen to poor Matthew here." Wesker threatened, squeezing Matt's throat tighter. I looked over at Matt, not knowing what to do. He was always the one making the decisions, not me. He told me to run, but who knows what Wesker would do to him if I abandoned him…but then I remembered when Matt and I were separated. I did so much on my own, without Matt. I then knew that I could make this one decision for myself.

"Wesker, you win." I surrendered.

"Good choice Tina, now hand over your weapons." Wesker commanded, dropping Matt to the ground.

Matt got up and leaped onto Wesker. I took out my knife and stabbed him in the leg. Wesker yelled in pain as Matt pulled at his blond hair. Then Matt took out a small, red object, and jammed it down Wesker's throat. Matt jumped off of Wesker just in time to see him explode into flames.

"Let's get out of here!" Matt yelled to me, already taking off towards the city.

Matt and I wandered through Raccoon City until we found a pharmaceutical store, ironically owned by Umbrella. We each bought a pair of reusable contact lenses, using money Matt stole from the mansion. We spent a few days in the streets, learning how to conceal our guns by observing the R.P.D. Once we were completely sure we could conceal our weapons, we turned ourselves into the local orphanage. There, we made a promise to keep in touch, in case we ever got separated. We still had the walky-talkies that Wesker gave us. We decided to use them to contact each other.

"It'll be fine." Matt told me.

"It's all over.".

Epilogue

August 7, 1998 Raccoon City Orphanage in the Cedar District

"I like her Harry. She reminds me of my brother." Ann Peters Connors told her husband.

"I think she's too quiet. Aren't kids that age suppose to be full of energy?" Harry Connors asked his wife.

"Hey, most parents complain that their children are too loud. Now I for one, really like this kid. I say we adopt her." Ann countered.

Harry sighed, he just couldn't say no to his wife.

"Alright. But I better not regret this." he warned his wife.

Ann and Harry walked into the room where the girl was sitting. She had dark hair, pale skin, and light brown eyes.

"Sweetie, we're your new parents. I'm Ann, and this is my husband, Harry. What's your name?" Ann cooed to the child.

"Tina." the girl quietly replied.

Author's Note 

**The new sequel to Virus Kids, VK: Raccoon City can be found here: s/8272417/1/Virus_Kids_Raccoon_City**


End file.
